BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Body Image Promoting Healthy Body Image in Young Children

I am a mother of a beautiful two year old little girl. I have become concerned with the way the general population is obsessed with their body image. I would like to start with my little one now to promote a healthy body image and self esteem for her, so that she will not grow up with the same worries and concerns with herself. Any suggestions. I would really appreciate your input. Thankyou.

I think the most important thing is role modeling! Love and honor your own body, and she will learn to love and honor hers. Eat healthy foods, stay fit and active, enjoy trying new activities without trying to compete or be perfect. Stress that the models in magazines and stars on tv aren't "real" in that they're air-brushed and helped along with make-up and clothes and scripted lines and poses. Encourage her to be a well-rounded person by taking care of your own self physically, emotionally, intellectually, etc - and teaching her to do the same.

Any other ideas out there?

I was watching (I think it was a Dr Phil show) where a 5-year-old wanted to wear mascara and blush because she didn't think she was pretty enough. She threw tantrums if her mother didn't do her hair for her or let her wear makeup. It seems she picked this up from her mother who was insecure about her own looks and spent a lot of time putting make up on and moaning about being fat and ugly. Children mimic adults, especially their parents when they're very young, so the best way to build positive body image is to model it without making a big deal out of it, as Laurie said.

There are some really neat alternatives to Barbie Dolls (which we don't do here for the same kinds of concerns you have). They're called Beacon Street Girls...

Also watch out for fairy tales!

They are great ideas thanks. I did not know where to begin with natalie. I now have plenty to work with. I need to start paying attention to what I say and do with my own body if I want Natalie to grow up with a positive body image.

The fairy tale idea intrigues me. Jan has brought up a really interesting point. Everyone wants to live in that sort of fantasy world. I grew up with fairy tales and was very heartbroken when I did not achieve the fairy tale ideal. What do you think about fairy tales?

I loved fairy tales. The whole idea of princesses and kings, evil witches and forests - it was so fun and creative. Now, I think of it the same way I do Santa Claus and all those myths: harmless and entertaining.

But, like anything, they can be made into something offensive and degrading, I guess. I thought playing with Barbies was fun - and I did struggle with my weight and body image growing up - but I think my struggles really did stem from my mom's struggles, not from the dolls themselves. I overate and didn't exercise - it was a role modeling thing for me, not a fairy tale or Barbie doll thing.

I'm not saying parents should never read fairy tales to their children, but it's important to notice gender stereotypes in these stories. Examples are as follows:

--lead female character is usually not that bright
--lead female often is waiting for her prince to come rescue her
--lead female is usually slim and attractive
--lead female is often shown being submissive, cleaning the house, etc

EVIL characters almost always are UGLY.

I'd much prefer sharing tales with my children that feature strong female characters such as Pocohontas and Mulan. I don't want my daughter growing up reading stories about women who are submissive, and I definitely don't want her thinking that women are only worthy if they are beautiful. Girls are recognized for their appearance while boys are usually recognized for what they DO. Harmless comments that focus on a little girl's hair, dress, and shoes teach her that people notice her for her APPEARANCE rather than acts of kindness, intelligence, etc...

I wrote a whole paper on this in grad. school. Interesting stuff.

This week's Body Image article is called "Role Modeling Health and Wellness." Check it out!

Next week is "Does Your Son � or a Man You Know � Struggle With His Body Image?"

great article, thankyou. this helps immensely.

That's fascinating Jan. I must have been thinking along the same lines, although hadn't put it into concrete terms like that, because I'm writing a fairy tale at the moment, and the main girl character is smarter than almost all of the other characters, I haven't described much about her looks, but instead that the other children admire her and look to her for leadership, she's the one doing the rescuing most of the time, my evil characters are actually really attractive! They catch the good characters off guard because they are charming and pleasant - with ulterior motives of course. Mmm...

It's great to have attractive, evil characters - because that's reality. Most if not all serial killers are charming and very attractive; that's how they lure so many women into trusting them! I'm glad your protagonist is smart and brave -- what a great role model.